Monthly Archives: November 2014

Happy belated Thanksgiving! We had a week off from school, so I took the time to make some DIY Christmas decorations, do homework, and make this handy checklist for you all. If you are preparing for an interview and don’t know where to begin then this is perfect for you. Or if you have had interviews in the past but you always get nervous and need something to help you mentally prepare then this is perfect for you also. I divided it into categories so that you aren’t overwhelmed looking at a huge list of tasks. Also if you have any questions or need me to clarify, shoot me an email or leave a comment below.

It seems like everywhere you go you see people holding up their phones, making a weird face, and sending it through Snapchat. Snapchat is the app that allows you to send photos to friends that disappear after a few seconds. It has become so popular that Snapchat has become a verb and has expanded to include video and now offering a way to send money to your friends. They partnered up with the online payment service Square and now users can connect their debit card to their account.

To send cash, users will first need to read the terms and conditions, and verify that they are 18 and over (though it is not clear if Snapchat is actually verifying ages). Then you enter your debit card information (since Snapchat and Square are partners, you will be sending your card information to both companies), to add more security, you can request to have Snapchat ask for your CVV for each transaction. Sending the actual payment it quite easy. You open the contact’s name, type the $ and then the amount of money that you want to send.

There have been some safety concerns because Snapchat has had some issues with privacy in the past, so people are not sure if this is a smart idea.

If you’re like me, then you use YouTube to watch music videos, listen to songs before I decide to buy them, or listen to those old hits. Lately, YouTube has sort of been a replacement for Pandora for me because I don’t have to worry about skipping limits and the related songs are usually better than what Pandora plays. Now YouTube is offering their own paid music subscription service called YouTube Music Key. Don’t get too excited though, because it is still in BETA mode and you will need an invite to start using it. For those of you who take advantage now you will only have to pay $7.99 a month, with the first 6 months free. Otherwise, it will be $9.99 a month.

YouTube has also unveiled a new system update that adds a new menu option just for music that features music videos, playlists of songs (my favorite feature) and songs you should listen to based on your history. In the future, you will have the option to play full albums, and see an artist’s full discography.

In order to enter the mobile arena, CBS has introduced a new twenty-four hour news streaming service. This will be different from their original news broadcasts because only subscribers can view this service. There will be lived anchored coverage from 9am to midnight Eastern Time, but I am not entirely sure what will happen during those nine hours when there aren’t live anchors. The network, called CBSN, offers content from CBS Sports, News, and other partners, so the digital streaming service will not be just a replica of the news happening on television. There is also a feature that lets you go through previous coverage, sort of like an on demand service does. To watch the streaming service, just go to CBS’ website, or you can use streaming services like Roku and Fire TV.
I think that streaming video will be the new innovation for networks. People are becoming increasing busy and don’t have the time every week to sit down and watch the latest episode of a show, so more networks are allowing people to watch the episodes online.

Quick note: I know that the show comes on on Thursdays (#TGIT), and I don’t get my recaps up until Saturday, but Fridays are so busy for me. So don’t be mad at me for getting these recaps up on Saturdays. But let’s jump right on into this week’s episode (which I enjoyed)

The cell phone has evolved from just being a device that you can receive and place phone calls on, to being a device that takes photos, videos, plays music, has games, etc. And this has influenced journalism in the way that reporters no longer have to wait for camera crews to show up; if there is breaking news, they can just pull out their phone and take pictures, or send updates using social media. Below I will discuss the pros and cons of mobile journalism. Continue reading →